Can-opener



(No Model.)

0; R. WEBSTER.

CAN OPENER;

No. 278,379. Patented May 29,1883.

r W J n V l s 3 y i sented at d.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

OGTAVIUS R. WEBSTER, OF BELFAST, MAINE.

CAN-OPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 278,379, dated May 29, 1883,

Application filed March 26, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern l Be it known that I, Oornvrns RANDOLPH WEBSTER, of Belfast, in the county of Waldo,

of the State of Maine, have invented a new and useful lmprovementin Gan-Openers; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a top view, Fig. 2 a side elevation, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section, of a can-opener containing my invention, the nature of such invention being definedin the a, and curved, and having in its longer arm,

near its end, an. eye or opening, I), for reception of the third finger of the right hand of a person.

i usually make straight on its lower edge, as

terminates in a sharp chisel cutting'edge, g.

i the purpose of which is to force asunder the shown at c, and pointed at its end, as repre- Extending through the slot a. is another or cutting lever, B, the two levers being pivoted together or havinga common fulcrum, c. The shorter arm of the lever B has a width at topequal to. or a trifle less than that of the slot 0., and such arm at its end Affixed to the longer arm of the lever A and extending into the slot a and underand against the longer arm of the lever B is a spring, 0,

two arms in order to open the cutting-jaws or shorter arms or move them apart. The slot to increases somewhat in width from its lower part upward, in order to readily discharge the strip formed by thejaws in cutting a can. The instrument, when used to open a can, cuts a strip of metal therefrom, which passes upward through the slot to. The pointed or, sharp end of the cutting blade or arm of the sert the third finger of his right hand in the 1 be in use.

slotted lever A and extended into the slot of The shorter arm of the said lever I with his thumb is to move the said lever successively, and to intermittently force it forward in a manner to cause the jaws to cut a strip from and in or around the can-head asoccasion may require. a

In this can-opener the slot at ofthe lever A is closed at its outer end, the lever being pointed at d beyond the slot. By having the slot closed at its outer end the parts on eachside ofsuch slot are kept from spreading so as to loosen the pivot cv when the instrument may The spring 0, by being fixed to the such lever and against the longer arm of the lever B, becomes so arranged as not to be lia ble in any wayto catch and pinch, on the levers being pressed together, a persons hand between it and the lever to which it is affixed,

as would be the case were the springattached to either of the levers near its outer end and extended between them and against the other lever. By forming the lever B with a chiseledge at its end, it, with the'part extending beyond the outer end of the slot 0, can be used to cut 011' transversely a strip at its junction with a can-head, which could not be done were the slot to be open at the end of the shorter arm of the lever, and the end of the shorter arm of the lever B were pointedinstead of being chisel-edge shaped.

I do not herein claim a can-opener as rep resented in the United States Patent No.

I claim--- The improved can-opener, substantially as described, consisting of the lever A, provided with the slot or, arranged therein and closed at its front end, as explained, and ofthe lever B, pivoted to the lever A and extended through the slot, and having its shorter arm adapted to cut at its end as well as at its sides with the slot c, all being essentially as set forth.

OGTAV IUS B. WEBSTER.

Witnesses: r

H. E. .MGDONALD, W. H. BRowN. 

